Narrator and point of view

The short story “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson has a third-person narrator. 

The narrator is an observer of the story and is limited to Norma’s perspective. This enables the story to have moments of suspense, such as when Norma talks to Mr. Stewart about the button, and the readers only know as much as Norma does about how the button works. 

The narrator shares what Norma thinks and feels, such as “I’m going to be late, she though. She shrugged. What difference did it make? She should be home, anyway, not working in an office”. Norma’s thoughts reflect her frustration with her current lifestyle and her wish to be able to afford something better. Because of this, the reader is aware of Norma’s interest in the button and can assume she might intend ...